The NYPD is the largest police force in the country, but critics note it has yet to implement any meaningful reforms since the death-by-illegal choke hold of Eric Garner in 2014, which galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement.

The project was initiated because those most affected should help shape police reform. “With policing tactics like stop-and-frisk becoming a central issue in this year’s presidential campaign, it’s important that the communities most impacted are heard,” said Holmes.

Whether the NYPD disproportionately targets certain neighborhoods--especially of color-- despite lower crime rates and mounting evidence that programs like stop-and-frisk were not effective at stopping crime have been the source of great criticism. Despite progress, Holmes explains very little has changed regarding this targeting of minorities. Over the past twelve years, black New Yorkers consistently accounted for between 50 and 60 percent of all stops (52.7% so far in 2016), but less than 25% of the general population.

Brownsville and the South Bronx were chosen for the initial pilot neighborhoods because they have experienced an enormous police presence, both during the stop-and-frisk era, and now through "vertical housing patrols, police surveillance and the presence of militarized equipment."

The survey asks residents to share how NYPD policing impacts them, what resources their community relies on to keep safe, and whether they trust police with their safety. It also connects residents to lawyers and community organizers armed with rights and legal information including assistance for filing notices of claim and complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Staff on site will provide residents Know Your Rights materials on police stops and law enforcement interactions as well as information on NYPD surveillance equipment and resources for legal and other support.

For 2 days in each location, participants will be offered free meals from the Snowday food truck, operated by formerly incarcerated youth fellows with the Drive Change organization. The truck’s staff will share their experiences with residents and provide information on Drive Change, which offers employment training and support to young people leaving adult jail and prison;

The NYCLU will also document stories and experiences highlighting the dehumanizing aspects of the NYPD’s policing model as part of a new social media campaign called #CitizenQuota. Organizers at the sites will share information on the NYCLU’s work to reform police practices, its youth organizing projects and its new Organizing Institute – an important new program to develop community leadership on civil rights issues.

Critics also point to a "major flaw" in the NYPD’s policing model for its over-reliance on quotas. Although the practice was outwardly banned in 2010, it persists. A lawsuit filed this year by 12 NYPD officers contends officers are told to target minority neighborhoods and meet minimums for issuing arrests and summonses, or they are punished. In this context it's not surprising, Holmes says, that many people of color feel threatened by the police rather than protected.

The NYCLU is working with participatory research experts at the Public Science Project and community partners to systematically survey the opinions and experiences of 1,000 people who live or work. The initiative began Oct. 24 in the Brownsville neighborhood for five days before moving to the South Bronx, where it was slated to run until Nov. 4. However, large community interest has required an extension.

Last year police killed 102 unarmed black men across the country.